Outboard motor oil filler tube arrangement



Jan. 3l, 1961 L. w. FOSTER i 2,969,763

OUTBOARD MOTOR OIL FILLER TUBE ARRANGEMENT Filed Nov. 9, 1959 INVENTOR. ESA/E M Fosreie WCM/um,

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OUTBOARD MOTOR OIL FILLER TUBE ARRANGEMENT Leslie W. Foster, Arden Hills, Minn., assignor to McCulloch Corporation, Marine Products Division, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Nov. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 851,811

6 Claims. (Cl. 11S-18) This invention relates to improvements in providing a lubricant liller arrangement for the lower unit lubricant cavity of an outboard motor unit.

Presently, to check the oil or lgrease level in an outboard motor lower unit housing the boat operator must tilt the motor up to remove the drain plug. Additionally, the operator has no idea of the oil or grease level since the plugs are either at the top (lill) or the bottom (drain). The above described procedure is quite burdensome with the larger motors which because of the lack of beaching or hoisting facilities may be left in the water over extended periods of time.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide in an outboard motor unit an oil filler tube arrangement providing access to a lower unit lubricant cavity from adjacent the boat or pivot bracket while the motor unit is in an operating position.

The present invention accomplishes the above object by providing the oil ller tube for the lower unit lubricant cavity through the pivot tube, the top of which is made readily accessible from within the boat on which the motor unit is mounted.

These and other more detailed and specific objects will be disclosed in the course of the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a partial side elevational view of an exemplary outboard motor unit mounted on a boat transom and showing an oil filler arrangement for a lower unit lubricant cavity which includes the motor upright pivot tube.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan sectional view taken along lines 2 2 in the Fig. l.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing like numbers denote like parts and structural features in the two views. An outboard motor unit including the power unit 10 has an integrally formed motor bracket 12 pivotally connected to the boat or pivot bracket 14 on the boat transom 16. A vertical pivot tube 18 is fixedly attached to the bracket 14 in the vertically spaced apart resilient shockmounts 14A. The upper and lower end portions of the tube are journaled in the motor bracket for permitting the bracket to pivot thereon. The usual thrust washers 13 are provided respectively between the two brackets at their upper pivotal connection and at the tube 18 lower end.

The oil filler and measuring means for the lubricant cavity 20 formed in the lower unit housing or casing 22 includes the tube 18 which has the axially extending hollow center 24. The tube 18 lower end portion has a radially extending notch or aperture 26 providing uid communication between the tube inside and the annular recess 28 formed between the pivot tube and the housing 22. The enclosed uid passageway 30 extends between the annular recess 28 and an upper portion of the vertically elongated cavity 20 section 20A. The radial aperture 26, passageway 30 and the cavity section 20A upper portion are horizontally aligned for permitting lubricant or oil to dow therebetween when the motor unit is in an nited States arent upright operating position as shown in Fig. 1. Thus the oil level in the tube 18 is the same as in cavity section 20A.

The iluid port 20B provides communication between the cavity section 20A and the like vertically elongated cavity section 20C. The usual upright outboard motor driveshaft 31 rotatably extends through the cavity section 29C from the power head 10 to a set of propeller drive gears (not shown) located in a cavity 20 lower portion for rotating the usual propeller (not shown) to move a boat through water. As the power head 10 is operated the shaft 31 rotates the propeller gears forcing the lubricant throughout the cavity 20 and to the recess 28 for lubricating the motor bracket lower pivot bearings 29. In the illustrated embodiment suicient expansion space was provided in the cavity 20 and its connected passageway 30, recess 28 and the tube 18 inside for the lubricant during power head 10 operation. A usual oil breather arrangement (not shown) may be added to limit the lubricant pressure in the cavity.

To measure the lubricant level in cavity 20 or add lubricant thereto, the operator while still in the boat stops the power unit 10 and reaches over the boat bracket 14 to remove snap held cover 32 from the motor bracket 12 exposing an upwardly opening circular recess therein. A suitable wrench is inserted through the pivot tube retaining ring 34 to non-rotatably engage the upper noncircular portion of the radially enlarged outwardly threaded head 36. The head is unscrewcd from the pivot tube upper inwardly threaded end. Lastly the oil measuring rod or dipstick 38, attached to the lower end of head 36, is removed from the tube by axially moving it upwardly through the tube center 24. It is important to note that the power unit 10 extends only upwardly, outwardly and rearwardly from the pivot tube 18 for permitting the rod 38 to be easily removed. Additionally the illustrated arrangement provides access to the oil filler tube at a convenient height with respect to the boat operator, i.e., substantially at the upper edge of the boat 16 transom.

The lower portion 38L of the oil measuring rod 38 has the usual oil level markings thereon for indicating the height of the oil in the pivot tube interior 24. Upon determining that the lower unit cavity 20 needs oil the operator, while in the boat and with the motor in operating position, pours suitable lubricant through the retaining ring 34 thence through the pivot tube interior 24 into the lubricant cavity. The rod 38 is then reinserted into the pivot tube and the head 36 screwed into the tube upper threaded end as illustrated. The cover 32 is slipped back into the bracket 12 upper recess completing the jOb.

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in the structure as disclosed, provided such modiiications come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fully illustrated and described my invention, what I claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. In an outboard motor unit, a boat bracket, a motor bracket, an upright pivot tube on one of the brackets and being pivotally connected to the other bracket, a lower unit housing having a lubricant cavity and being stationarily associated with the motor bracket, the pivot tube extending below a cavity upper portion and being in iluid communicative relation therewith, and the lubricant level in the cavity being measurable by inspecting the lubricant level inside the pivot tube while the lower unit housing is in an operating position.

2. Apparatus as in the claim 1 wherein a power head is mounted on the motor bracket and extends only rearwardly upward and outward from the pivot tube upper end.

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3. Apparatus as in the claim 1 wherein a power head housing is stationarily associated with the motor bracket in a non-obstructing relation to the pivot tube upper end for permitting manual access to said end from outside the motor unit.

` 4. In an outboard motor unit, a boat bracket, va motor bracket, an upright pivot tube on one of the brackets andbeing pivotally connected to the other bracket, a lower unit housing stationarily associated with the motor bracket and having a lubricant cavity therein, a circum- 'ferentially extending uid recess adjacently outside the tube and being in gravitational fluid communication with an upper portion of Said cavity, the pivot tube having a radially extending aperture providing uid communication between the tube inside and'said recess,"and the tube upper end being open and readily accessible from outside the motor'unit while it is in an operating position. 5.- In an outboard motor unit, a boat bracket, a motor` bracket,` an'upright pivot tube on one of the brackets and-being pivotally connected to the other bracket,`a lower housing having a lubricant cavity vand being stationarily associated with the motor bracket,v the tube lower end portion being radially spaced'apart from the motor bracket for forming an annular recess therebetween which is vertically adjacent the lubricant cavity,v the tube having a radial aperture providing fluid communication between the tube inside and the recess,l a horizontal Huid passageway extending between the recess and the cavity, and the upper end of the tube being open and readily accessible from adjacent the boat bracket while the motor is in an operating position.

6. An outboard motor'haviug a lower unit with an internal lubricant cavity, a bracket `for mounting the motor on a boat, the motor being pivotally connected to the bracket on an upright pivot axis, said pivotal conmedion including .an eldngatdd tube extending codxially ofthe pivot axis, the motor having internal passage means forming closed communication between the lower end portion of the tube and the said cavity, and a member for closing the upper end of the k tubeand being removably associated there'with; i'

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STaTEs 'PATENTS' 

